Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-07-07
click on the pipe. It was .tsp.tap. I,

|
picked up hammer and hit the pipe
three times. Back came the answer
three taps. l shouted, Boys, they
know we're here! How we yelled and
danced! We huddled around that
air pipe and every ten seconds or 80,
'click-click' came the echo of the ham
mer. We replied. They didn't exactly
know who we were down there, and SO
in the hope that one of us might UNDER
stand telegraph signals they sent
and got IN opeartor from the telegraph
office. and he banged away with the
signals, but we didn't understand it.
The most joyous sound on earth for
the hours we were imprisoned
there was the sound of that 'cllck-click'
over the pipe. 1t was simply the
signal OF hope. We did not know
what the trouble was, but that click
click assured us that Superintendent
Boyle was doing all he could. Fortu-
nately. we had candles, and were not
in the darkness. We had some to.
bacco. but could only chew it. Air was
too precious to indulge in smoke. We
did have great tub of ice. and how
we treasured it as it melted! The draft
was insufferably hot, but we kept our
noses to the pipe and breathed the pure
air forced down. We learned after
ward how excited the whole Pacific
Coast was at our fate. Women came
and kneeled at that little lower en- yine
and prayed heaven that it would not
break. 1t did not If it is possible
for man to love piece of machinery
love that ! tile brown dish that sent
a current of life giving air to us over
1000 feet. That little engine is run
ming at the Alta Mine to-day, and I'll
git off the train at Reno any time to 60
over and see it.
"Well, we were Gagged up there sixty
hours without anything to eat The
ice went in ten hours. so we had to
drink the hot water from the drift.
But we kept banging away at the pipe
with our signals. And all night and
all day those faithful fellows on top
stood and clicked, clicked away to en-
courage us.
what was the cause of the delay?"
'They had to send to San Francis co
for machinery to repair the pump.
They sent a special engine, had the
foundry work all night, had the piece
sent up by another special engine. and
after three days of mortal anguish and
starvation-nearly three days of hope
less entombment quarter of mile be-
low the earth's surface-wc were res
cued.
The click along the PIPE had been
we'll kept up, but in the last few hours
they came with a rattle. Then VIC
knew the end was near. Bill" the
boss. took his car from the pipe and he
said: "Goatch. l believe she's workin',"
meaning the big pump. Ho darted
down the inclined croSs-cut, and there
came a yell of delight that nearly froze
us. "She's workin. boys; she's workin.'
The water is go;n' down. There you,
Goatch, jam Your car to the pipe, and
see if you can hear it" damned my
ear up. and sure enough l could just
catch the throb. throb of the big
engine. Iyclled, ''All right, Bill, she's
workin',' and then the click along the
pipe came faster than ever. We knew
we were saved down on your knees,
boys!" said Bill. You don't deserve
to live if you don't" And we four
knceled there. We didn't say much,
but can tell you we meant it.
1T took three Or tour hours to pump
out the shaft and DIR it. By that time
we had burned up nearly our last
candle, and we had had nothing to eat
all the period. But the big pump held
to its work and just as soon as tho
/ $50 station could be reached with
cage dozen strong arms were there to
help us.
But never again would l go into a
deep silver mine. am brave man."
said Mr.. Goatch, "that is as brave as
men go. but never again will l be
buried alive quarter of n nile under
he ground W tn nothing but little
blower engine and four inch pipe be-
tween me and death. Chicago 1rib-
me